Wilmington man turns to sculpting his own forests

Tom Coulantuaono pots a pine bonsai.

Chris Conway

By Katie Elzer-PetersStarNews Correspondent

Published: Friday, July 26, 2013 at 10:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, July 26, 2013 at 10:15 a.m.

There’s a house tucked far back off Airlie Road that, upon close inspection, gives off a few clues that someone interesting lives there. Instead of a cascade of common bedding plants such as petunias, you’ll see a tiny, sculptural evergreen in a shallow glazed pot near the mailbox. Look at the fence to the right of the house and you’ll do a double take. Is that a miniature forest? Growing in a pot?

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Welcome to gardener Tom Colantuono’s world. He’s never met a tree that he can’t bonsai. His yard has more than 300 pots, some containing multiple bonsai trees in a scene, and many more stock plants from which he takes cuttings to start new trees.

Roots of an obsession

Bonsai gardening has always been of interest to Colantuono, but the full-scale takeover of his back garden is relatively recent.

“I have a defibrillator and a pacemaker and I can’t do much active stuff,” he said. “My gardens have changed my life.”

He used to be a carpenter and painter. One day his heart stopped and he had to be brought back to life. On Sept. 11, 2001, he was in surgery to have his first pacemaker installed when a phone call came in to the operating room.

“Tell her we’re not done yet,” Colantuono told the doctor. He thought it was his wife, but “it was someone calling to give the news about the World Trade Center attacks. I was the last surgery of the day. I told the doctor, ‘Turn me on and get me out of here!’”

He became a general contractor and worked from an office, but the stress was too much and his doctors told him he needed to stop working. He sat at home and became increasingly depressed.

Unable to do large-scale landscaping and nursing a mostly dormant interest in bonsai, Colantuono started visiting nurseries, combing the internet and tending tiny trees that were more manageable for his limited pace and mobility.

“I’d visit the nurseries in town and buy five or 10 trees. Then I’d start doing things to them,” he said with a laugh. “Every time I’d walk into the Transplanted Garden, (co-owner) Tom Ericson would say, ‘Here comes Tom! He’s going to destroy another tree!’”

Over the years, friends and family have helped Colantuono with the heavy lifting – moving the larger trees around, building display racks and pedestals and supporting him as he shares his love of bonsai with the community through charitable donations and sales.

Prized specimens

For Colantuono, choosing a favorite out of his 300 trees would be like trying to identify the best ice cream flavor.

The largest and oldest specimen is a 40-year old branch that was air-layered (rooted while on the tree and then removed) from a 300-year old tree. It’s in a large, red, shallow clay pot from China that dates to the 1850s.

“I found the pot, and then I found the right plant for it,” he said. “I’m going to air-layer this tree and it will eventually be three trees.”

Bonsai plant starts, care tips and stories of historic trees make the rounds.

“This is a practice that is passed from person to person,” he said.

Strolling through the garden, you’ll encounter miniatures of some of your favorite landscape trees. There’s a bonsai weeping willow. On his deck sits a bonsai crape myrtle in full bloom. In a large container in prime placement on a pedestal in the garden sits a forest of 17 dwarf Alberta spruces.

Some of Colantuono’s bonsai trees are dwarf or miniature conifers that grow less than two inches a year, but most are regular trees that would be full-sized if not for the special pruning and care they receive.

2-2-2

Bonsai trees have a reputation for being difficult, but Colantuono, who is simply a bonsai grower, not a supplier, has a simple set of instructions to get people over that hump.

First, he said, be wary of certain types of mass-marketed bonsai, which can set you up for failure from the start.

“The rocks and plants are glued into the pots! Do you put glue on your landscape plants at home? No! So why would you glue your bonsai?”

The trees need to be able to easily come out of the pots for pruning purposes, Colantuono said.

“All of my containers have free-moving components. The soil, the rocks on top, the trees, it all moves. Well, except the moss. It grows into the soil.”

Once you have the right plant, follow the “2-2-2” rule. Water every two days, fertilize with bonsai fertilizer (urea free 7-9-5) every two weeks, and root-prune and re-pot every two years. Most trees are pruned and re-potted in the spring, but “every tree has its own care requirements,” Colantuono said. “Research before pruning.”

By removing one third to one half of the roots, what would otherwise be a full-sized landscape tree is kept small. Soil is also key for healthy bonsai trees.

“It needs to be free-draining and loose,” Colantuono said. “Every plant has different soil requirements.”

Shears and weights

Bonsai involves art to create beautiful specimens as well as science to keep the trees alive in such altered conditions. Everything from flexible wire to fishing weights can be used to train the trees into different shapes.

“Jin” is the technique of creating the look of age by removing bark from the tops of some branches, which causes those areas to dry out and die. This represents what, in nature, could be caused by age or lightning strikes.

Colantuono has several projects in the works using jin, as well as other techniques. He’s using holly junipers to create a landscape in miniature that replicates a tree grouping along Bradley Creek. Another tree is being shaped to resemble a large old juniper growing along Airlie Road that’s been struck by lightning.

Recently, Colantuono has started creating pots that he makes himself out of found driftwood and deadfall. Gesturing to a set of three dwarf spruce growing in one of his wood containers, he said, “I’d like to keep it for longer, but decay is part of life. This setup isn’t permanent.”

<p>There's a house tucked far back off Airlie Road that, upon close inspection, gives off a few clues that someone interesting lives there. Instead of a cascade of common bedding plants such as petunias, you'll see a tiny, sculptural evergreen in a shallow glazed pot near the mailbox. Look at the fence to the right of the house and you'll do a double take. Is that a miniature forest? Growing in a pot?</p><p>Welcome to gardener Tom Colantuono's world. He's never met a tree that he can't bonsai. His yard has more than 300 pots, some containing multiple bonsai trees in a scene, and many more stock plants from which he takes cuttings to start new trees. </p><p><b>Roots of an obsession</b></p><p>Bonsai gardening has always been of interest to Colantuono, but the full-scale takeover of his back garden is relatively recent. </p><p>“I have a defibrillator and a pacemaker and I can't do much active stuff,” he said. “My gardens have changed my life.” </p><p>He used to be a carpenter and painter. One day his heart stopped and he had to be brought back to life. On Sept. 11, 2001, he was in surgery to have his first pacemaker installed when a phone call came in to the operating room. </p><p>“Tell her we're not done yet,” Colantuono told the doctor. He thought it was his wife, but “it was someone calling to give the news about the World Trade Center attacks. I was the last surgery of the day. I told the doctor, 'Turn me on and get me out of here!'” </p><p>He became a general contractor and worked from an office, but the stress was too much and his doctors told him he needed to stop working. He sat at home and became increasingly depressed. </p><p>“My wife said, 'Why don't you try going outside and doing a little bit of gardening?'”</p><p>Unable to do large-scale landscaping and nursing a mostly dormant interest in bonsai, Colantuono started visiting nurseries, combing the internet and tending tiny trees that were more manageable for his limited pace and mobility. </p><p>“I'd visit the nurseries in town and buy five or 10 trees. Then I'd start doing things to them,” he said with a laugh. “Every time I'd walk into the Transplanted Garden, (co-owner) Tom Ericson would say, 'Here comes Tom! He's going to destroy another tree!'” </p><p>Over the years, friends and family have helped Colantuono with the heavy lifting – moving the larger trees around, building display racks and pedestals and supporting him as he shares his love of bonsai with the community through charitable donations and sales.</p><p><b>Prized specimens</b></p><p>For Colantuono, choosing a favorite out of his 300 trees would be like trying to identify the best ice cream flavor. </p><p>The largest and oldest specimen is a 40-year old branch that was air-layered (rooted while on the tree and then removed) from a 300-year old tree. It's in a large, red, shallow clay pot from China that dates to the 1850s. </p><p>“I found the pot, and then I found the right plant for it,” he said. “I'm going to air-layer this tree and it will eventually be three trees.” </p><p>Bonsai plant starts, care tips and stories of historic trees make the rounds. </p><p>“This is a practice that is passed from person to person,” he said.</p><p>Strolling through the garden, you'll encounter miniatures of some of your favorite landscape trees. There's a bonsai weeping willow. On his deck sits a bonsai crape myrtle in full bloom. In a large container in prime placement on a pedestal in the garden sits a forest of 17 dwarf Alberta spruces. </p><p>Some of Colantuono's bonsai trees are dwarf or miniature conifers that grow less than two inches a year, but most are regular trees that would be full-sized if not for the special pruning and care they receive. </p><p>2-2-2</p><p>Bonsai trees have a reputation for being difficult, but Colantuono, who is simply a bonsai grower, not a supplier, has a simple set of instructions to get people over that hump.</p><p>First, he said, be wary of certain types of mass-marketed bonsai, which can set you up for failure from the start. </p><p>“The rocks and plants are glued into the pots! Do you put glue on your landscape plants at home? No! So why would you glue your bonsai?” </p><p>The trees need to be able to easily come out of the pots for pruning purposes, Colantuono said. </p><p>“All of my containers have free-moving components. The soil, the rocks on top, the trees, it all moves. Well, except the moss. It grows into the soil.”</p><p>Once you have the right plant, follow the “2-2-2” rule. Water every two days, fertilize with bonsai fertilizer (urea free 7-9-5) every two weeks, and root-prune and re-pot every two years. Most trees are pruned and re-potted in the spring, but “every tree has its own care requirements,” Colantuono said. “Research before pruning.” </p><p>By removing one third to one half of the roots, what would otherwise be a full-sized landscape tree is kept small. Soil is also key for healthy bonsai trees. </p><p>“It needs to be free-draining and loose,” Colantuono said. “Every plant has different soil requirements.” </p><p><b>Shears and weights</b></p><p>Bonsai involves art to create beautiful specimens as well as science to keep the trees alive in such altered conditions. Everything from flexible wire to fishing weights can be used to train the trees into different shapes. </p><p>“Jin” is the technique of creating the look of age by removing bark from the tops of some branches, which causes those areas to dry out and die. This represents what, in nature, could be caused by age or lightning strikes. </p><p>Colantuono has several projects in the works using jin, as well as other techniques. He's using holly junipers to create a landscape in miniature that replicates a tree grouping along Bradley Creek. Another tree is being shaped to resemble a large old juniper growing along Airlie Road that's been struck by lightning.</p><p>Recently, Colantuono has started creating pots that he makes himself out of found driftwood and deadfall. Gesturing to a set of three dwarf spruce growing in one of his wood containers, he said, “I'd like to keep it for longer, but decay is part of life. This setup isn't permanent.” </p><p>I asked him when he planned to re-plant the trees.</p><p>“In two years,” he said. “Like the rest of them.”</p><p>Features: 343-2343</p>